Vibratory striking tool



Nov. 3, 1964 1-. B. ALDRICH 3,155,329

VIBRATORY STRIKING TOOL Filed June 21, 1962 /2 5 I /0 T F lllll H 3 INVENTOR THO MAS B. A LDR ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,155,329 VIBRATORY STREKING TOOL Thomas B. Aldrich, West Nyack, N.Y., assignor to Frank W. Earnest, .hu, Wilkes-Barre, Pa. Filed June 21, 1962, Ser. No. 204,224 3 Claims. (Cl. 241-468) The present invention relates to striking tools and more particularly to a manually held tool for striking ice cubes or larger pieces to disintegrate the same into fragmentary condition for convenient use in drinking glasses or the like. A tool of the type to which the invention relates is shown in US. Patent No. 2,474,100.

It is an object of the invention to provide a tool as an improvement upon this type of tool shown in this patent.

Another object is to provide a striking tool in the form of an elongated handle, of flexible material, terminating at one end in a head having an impact member at one side and means at the other side to magnify the striking force.

Another object of the invention is to provide a striking tool wherein an impact member is supported by a sensitive vibration producing means for imparting a succession of relatively heavy blows to an ice cube and break it into a plurality of small fragments for rapid cooling of liquids.

A further object is to provide a striking tool having an elongated tapered handle of plastic material for sensitive resistance having molded side attaching means to mount two impact members for alternate use and functioning together to magnify the striking force of'the, one being used, and to provide other improvements as'will hereinafter appear.

In the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a striking tool embodying the invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the same;

P16. 3 is an enlarged sectional view on line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a section view on line 4-4 of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 5 is a section view on line 55 of FIG. 2.

Referring to the drawings, the tool comprises an elongated, narrow relatively thin handle formed of flexible, resilient material, preferably molded plastic with transverse corrugations for easy manipulation. The width of the handle 10 is convergingly tapered to merge accurately into a substantially circular enlarge planar head 11 with a squared end 12; the thickness of the handle 10 is likewise tapered but diverges at its junction for increased thickness for the head 11. By these coacting tapers the resulting handle 11 becomes a sensitive, vibratory member capable of initiating rapid repetitious impact blows to an ice cube for better fragmentation than has heretobefore been possible by like tools.

As a mounting means for the impact member (to be presently described) one face of the head 11 has a projecting ring 13 molded therein with its inner wall undercut to provide an annular groove 14. Also the other face of the head 10 has a projecting ring 15 molded therein with its inner wall undercut to provide an annular groove 16. The two rings 13 and 15 are, preferably, generated respectively about aligned centers.

As a means for transmitting blows to an ice cube for disintegrating purposes, a metal dome-shaped impact disk 17 of circular configuration is provided having an outwardly disposed circumferential flange 18 of a thickness and diameter for complemental interfitting with the groove 1 14 to lock the disk 1'7 in place. As so assembled the disk 17 is in the form of a convex stiff dome projecting outwardly from the head 11.

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and diameter for complemental interfitting with the groove 16 to lock the disk 19 in place. As so assembled the disk 19 is in the form of a convex stiff dome projecting outwardly from the other side of the head 11 in alinement with the impact disk 17.

The handle 10 terminates at the striking end in a head 11 having two impact members 17 and 19 in back to back relation so that either can be used as the striking force according to the turned position of the handle 10. In either case the non-striking disk gives added weight to increase the striking force as well as to accelerate the effective vibratory action. It is these rapid repetitive blows on an initial cleavage which produces the multiplicity of fractures so necessary for successful disintegration of an ice cube. These fractures are substantially along symmetrical lines resulting in a plurality of relatively small shaped pieces of suitable size for use as heat exchangers for cooling liquids. The end of the handle 10 opposite to the head 11 is provided with an aperture 20 for convieniently storing the tool.

In assembling the tool advantage is taken of the strinking characteristics of hot molded plastic while cooling as a means for mounting the impact disks 17 and 19 in the formed projecting undercut rings 13 and 15 at the respective sides of the head 11. In such heated condition of the head and its rings it is easy to snap the disks into the now yieldable rings so that as the material cools shrinkage follows and each ring is thus firmly locked in place with its flange gripped by the undercut wall of the associated ring. This locking is supplemented by the sharpened edge of the flange fitting into the ring. Also the provided thickness of the head 11 effectively increases the shrinkage action.

It will now be apparent that a novel striking tool for disintegrating ice pieces suchas ice cubes has been devised wherein a molded resilient long handle carries two impact discs with such a high degree of flexibility that when a striking force is applied the unit is caused to vibrate at a relatively high frequency thereby imparting a succession of rapid blows to the object being disintegrated. By the use of two back-to-back impact disks a weight proportioned to the length of the handle can now be used to magnify applied force and so cause an accelerated vibration giving more impact strokes and more uniform fractured pieces. Further by using the shrinkage characteristics of heated plastic the impact disks are mounted substantially as a unitary part of the tool and therefore not susceptible to displacement while in use.

Having now described my invention, I claim:

1. A vibratory striking tool for disintegrating ice cubes by a succession of closely spaced blows, comprising in combination, an elongated resilient member having a handle at one end for grasping the tool and a working head at the opposite end, said elongated member convergingly tapering from said handle end to a relatively thin cross-section proximate to said head end to provide an oscillatory whipping motion of said head end when an appropriate force is applied to said handle end, said working head including a substantially planar base so coupled to said resilient member that the plane thereof is disposed perpendicularly to the path of motion traversed by the head when said head is oscillated, and a pair of rigid dome shaped impact members rigidly secured respecposite directions outward away from said planar base.

2. .A vibratory striking tool for disintegrating ice cubes by' a succession of closely spaced blows, comprising in For the same purpose a second, dome-shaped metal impact disk 1? of circular configuration is provided of a diameter to seat within the ring 15 and having an out wardly disposed circumferential flange 2% of a thickness elongated member convergingly tapering from said handle end to a relatively thin cross-section proximate to said head end to provide an oscillatory whipping motion of said head end when an appropriate force is applied to said handle end, said working head including a substantially planar base extending in longitudinal continuation of said elongated resilient member with the plane of said base disposed perpendicularly to the pathv of motion traversed by the working head when said head is oscillated, and a pair of hollow rigid dome shaped impact members rigidly secured respectively to opposite faces of said planar base with the convex dome surfaces of said impact members facing. in opposite directions outward away from said planar base.

3. A vibratory striking tool for disintegratingice cubes 1 by a succession of closely spaced blows, comprising in combination, an elongated resilient member having integrally formed therewith a handle atone end for grasping the tool and a working head at the opposite end, said elongated member convergingly tapering from said handle end to a relatively thin cross-section proximate to said head. endto provide an oscillatory whipping motion of said head end when an appropriate force is applied to said handle end, said working head including a substantially planar base extending in longitudinal continuation of said elongated. resilient member with, the plane of said 25 base disposed perpendicularly to thepath of motion traversed by the working head when said head is oscillated, a pair of undercut annular rings respectively formed on and extending outwardly away from the opposite faces of said planar base, and a pair of hollow rigid dome shaped impact members flanged radially outwardly at their bases disposed with the flanges thereof respectively seated downward upon the opposite faces of said planar base with the flanged edges disposed underlyingly engagingly Within the said undercut annular rings so that the convex dome surfaces of said impact members face in opposite directions outward away from said planar base.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,337,440 12/43 Arrowood. 2,474,100 6/49 Earnest 241168 2,809,684 10/57 Lyon.

FOREIGN PATENTS 5,648 3/ 11 Great Britain. 23,061 1/36 Austria.

I. SPENCER OVERHOLSER, Primary Examiner.

ROBERT A. OLEARY, Examiner. 

1. A VIBRATORY STRIKING TOOL FOR DISINTEGRATING ICE CUBES BY A SUCCESSION OF CLOSELY SPACED BLOWS, COMPRISING IN COMBINATION, AN ELONGATED RESILENT MEMBER HAVING A HANDLE AT ONE END FOR GRASPING THE TOOL AND A WORKING HEAD AT THE OPPOSITE END, SAID ELONGATED MEMBER CONVERGINGLY TAPERING FROM SAID HANDLE END TO A RELATIVELY THIN CROSS-SECTION PROXIMATE TO SAID HEAD END TO PROVIDE AN OSCILLATORY WHIPPING MOTION OF SAID HEAD END WHEN AN APPROPRIATE FORCE IS APPLIED TO SAID HANDLE END, SAID WORKING HEAD INCLUDING A SUBSTANTIALLY PLANAR BASE SO COUPLED TO SAID RESILIENT MEMBER THAT THE PLANE THEREOF IS DISPOSED PERPENDICULARLY TO THE PATH OF MOTION TRAVERSED BY THE HEAD WHEN SAID HEAD IS OSCILLATED, AND A PAIR OF RIGID DOME SHAPED IMPACT MEMBERS RIGIDLY SECURED RESPECTIVELY TO OPPOSITE FACES OF SAID PLANAR BASE WITH THE CONVEX DOME SURFACES OF SAID IMPACT MEMBERS FACING IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS OUTWARD AWAY FROM SAID PLANAR BASE. 